The daughter of an Army colonel, Debra Christopher moved frequently throughout her childhood, even graduating from high school in Turkey, which explains why moving to Des Moines from Austin, Texas, in the dead of winter isn’t all that stressful for her. Her love for travel kept her interested in track, which took her to destinations around the world, including Montreal for the 1976 Olympic Games, where her 4 x 400-meter relay team captured silver. But Christopher was more than happy to give up the sport, first aiming to become an English professor before entering the information technology field. She started as an administrative assistant and rose through the ranks to become the chief information officer for several companies and now for the city of Des Moines. She and her husband, Reginald, a retired dentist, married in May. She has a daughter, Lauran, a son, Jason, and an 18-month-old grandson, Isaiah.

How did you become a track athlete?

I started running when I got to college to get out of physical education because I am not athletic. I cannot bounce a ball and I had never run before. My father ran track in college and I’d listened to him talk about it, so I was interested and curious. My third year (of college) was when I made my first U.S. team. We traveled to Africa, Russia and Italy, and I said, “If this is all I have to do to continue to travel, they’ve got me.” It was just a God-given talent.

What was it like competing for the United States in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal?

Harrowing. I ran the first 400 meters of the 1,600-meter relay. The coach of the U.S. Olympic women’s track team told me, “Wherever you hand off the baton, Debra, is how we’re going to finish.” That’s all I thought about the whole time I was there. I handed off right behind Germany, and that’s how we finished. It was a wonderful, phenomenal experience to be able to stand on that podium and be the reason the U.S. flag went up.

Do you continue to run?

No, I don’t run at all. It’s very seductive to be in the limelight, and I think you just have to step away from it. After ’76, there wasn’t anything else I could achieve, so I stepped away from it. I wanted to do something else with my life. I coached track at Northwestern for a year and tried to just jog for my physical well-being, but I wanted to compete. It took me a couple of years before I got that out of my blood.

What do you do now to stay fit?

Bless the genes of my family.

Why didn’t you stay with coaching?

I’m not a good coach. [Running] was a gift I had, so I really didn’t understand why the women did not want to train the way I did and why they didn’t have the passion that I had. I guess what frustrated me more than anything was the lack of dedication. It’s not an easy sport to be in, and you have to be dedicated and focused. It has to be something you want.

What about the information technology field appealed to you?

I have a degree in biology, so I’m analytic. Information technology people are very bright; they are fun people to deal with. Information technology is always changing and it’s very challenging. You have to be able to think. And it’s not just about information technology. The reason I wanted to go into management was that I wanted to become very good at the management of the business of information technology.

Have you been able to carry over some of the skills learned in athletics into your professional career?

In a number of ways. You know your limitations, and I believe people are never stretched as far as they can go, so it gave me some self confidence. You learn how to manage stress. I’ve been able to call on times when I stepped out on that track not wanting to be there, not being in shape and knowing how to get very centered with what I had to do and being able to manage the stress. Women tend not to know how to compete the correct way, and it teaches you that there’s nothing wrong with being competitive, that you can be competitive and not unkind. I’m very goal oriented and understand how to set goals and focus on achieving them.

Why did you and your husband decide to move to Des Moines?

He lived in Austin for 50 years, but he wanted to move and do something different. I told him, “If you want to move, I will get with a headhunter and we will move.” I chose this job, and I’m excited about it, because I think I can make a difference. I felt good about the people. And you cannot discount how it brought me that much closer to my grandchild (who lives in Chicago).

What about traveling appeals to you?

I’m a very curious person. I like people and the differences in us. I like to learn, and I like the differences in cultures.

You’ve traveled throughout the world – what have been some of your favorite destinations?

I loved China and would like to be able to go back. When I went there, they were still riding bicycles and wearing blue uniforms and reading the “little red book” [“Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-Tung”]. At that time, it was very scary because it was a very indoctrinated country. So I would like to be able to go back. But if I had to settle someplace, it would be Italy. Every place in Italy I loved. I love the people and I love the food.